


New Horizons

by Chuugoku_Aru_Yo



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, First Day of School, Friendship, Gen, Genderbending, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, M/M, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Unrequited Crush, some of the characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27512140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chuugoku_Aru_Yo/pseuds/Chuugoku_Aru_Yo
Summary: Kiku has lived all his life with his mother, in a quiet village in North Japan, enjoying the nature around him. One day she suggests he moves to a better school, on the other side of Japan, in Osaka.He accepts and finds out his online best friend attends it too!Will he accommodate?What challenges will he face?How will the upcoming year change him?(I will add new tags later on, as the story progresses. Light historical subtext in later chapters)
Relationships: (might as well write the first NedSaka fanfiction ever), Belarus & Russia & Ukraine (Hetalia), China & Hong Kong & Macau & Taiwan (Hetalia), China/Japan (Hetalia), China/Russia (Hetalia), Germany & Prussia (Hetalia), Netherlands/Osaka (Hetalia), Taiwan/Vietnam (Hetalia), and if rochu is your notp, but DONT read it for NiChu
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to an antisocial weirdo, one of the best people in my life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiku is asked by his mother if he wants to try his luck in a school on the opposite side of Japan.

Streams of evening's sunlight caressed Kiku's skin as he sat on the engawa of his house. He enjoyed their warm embrace, staring far away at the horizon. The sun was slightly above the wavy line defined by the bold mountains. Thin stripes of clouds roamed the sky, painted by the sunset in shades of pink and orange. A soft breeze pulled his raven bangs gently and tugged at the folds of his matte kimono. 

He admired the show nature had to offer in silence, like he always did. 

Every day, when the weather was clear, there he was, watching the sunset. No matter how stressed was he, no matter what difficulties he faced, the rising and setting sun were always there for him. All he had to do was go outside and see them. He would sit contently on his Japanese house’s engawa all his life, as the sky got darker and darker, the child thought. And who was stopping him anyway? Probably the yell who broke the silence.

“Kiku! We have something to discuss!” his mother called.

Obedient, he got up and entered the house, putting on his indoor slippers. 

She was waiting for him while kneeling on a _tatami_. Next to her there was a spare one, ready for him to use. His mother waited for him as Kiku sat down, then started talking.

“You were the best in your school, remember?” she asked. 

Kiku nodded unenthusiastically. He remembered. A week ago, school ended and he surprisingly graduated at top of the class. Why surprisingly? Not because he cheated, he might not be perfect, but he knew to play fair. It was because he expected to do worse. The year has been hard and a few friendships of his were broken… Kiku mentally shook his head. He didn’t want to remember.

“I was thinking… Perhaps you want to move to a better school,” His mom hesitantly handed him a flyer. 

Now curious, Kiku opened it with a plain gesture and read the English title in bold letters.

**“Osaka International Academy**

**A school for talented students and a chance for foreigners to study abroad”**

After briefly reading the contents, he started having very mixed feelings about this. On one side, he liked the thought of moving from his village to a city and seeing how life was in other parts of Japan. Plus it’s not like he had friends he’ll miss later on. Not to mention the school’s name seemed familiar...

He was, for the majority of his 15 years, a lonely person. He had friends before, but they weren’t real friends. They came and went in his life all the time, like the sun rising and setting in the sky. But he didn’t really feel affected by it. He still had nature to soothe him. He always thought if he could live for so many years with little to no friends, he could live his life this way, with no problems. On the other side, the city had a downside, a little too harsh for him to even consider. The lack of routine in a city, the noise, the lights. He was a calm person, he didn't know if he could take not being able to see his daily sunset, nor if he could tolerate the noise and pollution...

"So... what do you think?" she hesitantly asked him, waiting patiently for a reply. Despite his usual empty stare, she noticed his grip on the paper get tighter.

Kiku, still split between yes and no, couldn't answer. Should he choose better education or a simple life? Well, if it doesn't scare you it doesn't change you for the better. And he couldn't deny the excitement the idea of a new lifestyle brought him. 

But he had some questions first.

“Being a school fit for foreigners, how will the holidays distribute?”

The woman smiled at his pretentious language.

“On the site it says the school starts in September and ends in June, like most Western schools. If you want, I will permit you to stay on a holiday from now, April, to September. So you can say goodbye to these places. The timetable is similar to your old one, though. With an hour lunch break and all. So, will you?”

"I think it would be an interesting experience. I will change schools."

His mother hugged him. 

"I am so proud of you, my son!"

Kiku didn't smile often, that's just how he was, but now he couldn't fight the small tug at his lips.

  
  


That night was spent very quietly. After he ate and thanked the woman politely for the meal, he went outside for a while to clear his mind and admire the nature around him. 

The sun was long gone, so it was dark outside. The sky was unusually clear, with almost no clouds. On it he could clearly distinguish a thick stripe of stars that was the galaxy above. The sky was a blue cloth, cut, poked and torn, to not cover the real colours of the universe anymore. 

_“It’s a big change, but I want it!”_ he thought while gazing at the suspended nightlights.

The soft wind never stopped blowing. To Kiku, it was like a sad prayer, like the wind was caressing his cheeks, knowing it won’t see him for long, if ever. But it was also like a refreshment, a persistent and never ending encouragement to go out there and live. To go where the wind of life takes him.

When it started to get cold, he went back inside and tucked himself in his comfortable bed on the floor. His bed he had since forever.

He realized he got a notification.

_“ **nǐ hǎo!** ” _

Oh, it was from Yào. Kiku reached for his phone, to text his online friend. The memories of his longtime friendship brought wrinkles of happiness to the corners of his eyes. 

He remembered how, a year ago, at fourteen, he got a message in one of his social media apps. The sender congratulated him for the interesting posts he put on his account. Kiku could still feel the tingling sense of warmth he had inside when he received the compliment. He wasn’t used to it. Checking the sender’s account, he found out he was a 15 year old Chinese student, named Wáng Yào. Curious, he texted back. He loved exchanging his culture with the foreign one, from other countries. Days passed and they became close friends. He learned his parents sent him to study abroad in Japan to a school for talented students for a chance for foreigners to study abroad.

Kiku winced, ending his flashback.

THAT’S WHY the name of the school seemed familiar! His friend studied there! Another rare smile formed on his face. Now he knew he wouldn’t be alone. He had Yào!

They were used to greeting each other in their respective languages, for fun. They still talked in english, but a little language exchange never hurt nobody. He smiled, noticing his little quirk of never caring enough to capitalize any letters. 

_“ **Kon’nichiwa** Yào-san.” _ Kiku respectfully answered. _“I am excited to tell you what is new.”_

_“oh, cut that extra respectful language out! we’ve known each other for like a YEAR!”_

He realized a long time ago the other was probably feeling the same about Kiku’s insistence to always use perfect grammar. He didn’t get anxious at the apparent harsh language used, he knew it was just Yào’s way of showing affection. Behind the rough words there was a warm smile and a good heart.

_“anyways, what did just happen that you’re so excited to tell me?”_ Yào followed up.

_“My mom and I decided I should move to a new school. Specifically, we chose the school you are attending, due to its cultural exchange programs and high rank among other learning institutions.”_

_“WAIT REALLY? **AIYAAASDFGHJKL** ” _

_“You’re excited as well I see. I am glad we will meet someday ٩(^ᴗ^)۶ Could you please tell me more about the school?”_

_“of course! i will help you make friends” “and show you around” “and give you study tips if you need them :)” “and tell you about the people in school” “and everything else!”_

_“I am grateful for your help. You truly are amazing! *♡( ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎ )”_

_“do you have any questions?”_

_“First of all, how does the school look like?”_

Kiku waited a couple of minutes, excited and impatient for the message that never seemed to come.

_“oh, it’s like a palace! it has a large but simple gate. the school is big and almost all the exterior walls are made out of glass! The ones that aren’t though, are of an immaculate white! we have a large PE ground and a little garden in japanese style with many flowers! it doesn’t have koi, though, because the students aren’t always well-behaved... anyways,it's far better than the public school i used to go to in china!”_

Kiku saw before the pictures in the flyer, but there were things he didn't know about. 

_“That sounds incredible!”_

_“the school is divided in two bodies: classes and rooms for students. i live in one of the latter myself and it’s way more clean than i thought it would be! the chamber is white and quite spacious (not too big though, they still need to fit like 50 of them in the building). i think white is boring, but i brought with me some paintings and decorations i made and it looks wonderful! Crimson is my favorite color!”_

_“They have apartments? That's Incredible!"_

_“yeah, they are made for the students. at the ground floor there is a small cafeteria that serves food three times a day! and it’s all delicious. japanese food is surprisingly delicious!”_

_“I am happy you find my culture as fascinating as I find yours.”_

_“I mean… it’s true, parts of the japanese culture was borrowed from ancient china, but it’s still very very interesting! any other questions?”_

_“Only one, if you do not mind…”_

_“ohh, of course i won’t…”_

_“Will you give me as much attention and affection then, as you do now?”_

_“I OBVIOUSLY WILL. what kind of question is that? you will always be my friend, kiku!!!”_

_“ **Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu**. I am honored to be that. You are a very special person.” _

_“wasn't that the very polite thank you in japanese? well then, **bié kèqì** ” _

_“I might be wrong, but didn’t the words you wrote signify ‘You’re welcome’?”_

_“exactly, remember how we used to tell each other these in an attempt to exchange languages? we learned many things!”_

_“I agree. My English has gotten better”_

_“OUR english :D” “i still don’t know if you use **thesaurus.com** or not to write your messages” _

Kiku broke into a soft chuckle. Good lord was Yào precious!

_“I see you feel very amused today.”_

_“i see you get amused very easily”_ Yào wrote back. “oh my, it’s very late here and i have school tomorrow. umm… **oyasuminasai**?

“ **Wǎn'ān** , Yào-san!”

He knew, somewhere, Yào was also smiling at his phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> Nǐ hǎo(cn.)- Hello  
> Kon'nichiwa(jp.)- Hello  
> Domo arigato gozaimasu(jp.)- Thank you very much  
> Bié kèqì(cn.)- You're welcome.
> 
> Explanation:  
> An engawa is a floor extension at one side of a Japanese-style house, usually facing a yard or garden and serving as passageway and sitting space. Like a porch. And kimonos are traditional Japanese clothing.  
> (Are there any other explanations needed? Comment them)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiku and his mother arrive in Osaka.

The five months flew by like the blossom of sakura trees. Graceful, mesmerising, alive. Yet, short lived. They were here a moment and the next they weren’t. 

Kiku woke up by sunrise and fell asleep by sunset. Sometimes he stayed up at night, to watch the dark scenery. He enjoyed the comforting silence nature had to offer him everyday, for he knew he would miss it. His mother even bought him a camera. A black high-quality Canon camera, with a plain protective bag. 

“Now you can photograph all the things you love!”

He tried it that night, curious on how it would work. Staying up later than usual, he pointed it at the moon, looking at the crescent through the device. Content, he realized the image was incredibly clear, a hundred times better than the one provided by his phone camera. Shooting the picture, he got a beautiful photo. 

The first thing he did with it was to move it to his phone and send it to Yào, in excitement, who quickly responded to congratulate him. Yes, Kiku never forgot to talk to his dearest friend. And the latter never forgot him either.

One day his mother called him to her.

“Kiku, I have to tell you something…” 

“Yes, mom?”

“I am afraid, in order to move to Osaka, we will need to sell this house. We cannot afford an apartment.” she sighed.

“I see... We don’t have to, though. The schools have apartments for students where they can live.”

“How do you know that?” the woman questioned.

“I … read it online...” Kiku lied. She believed him.

“You’re right! But then,” Her face suddenly turned emotionless, her eyebrows furrowed in a small frown. “Doesn’t that mean you will have to go there alone? I mean, the rooms are for students only.”

“Please do not concern, mother, for I have grown up and I can take care of myself, in the limits provided by my age.”

A sharp chuckle echoed in the room. 

“Why do you have to be so stiff all the time?”

“Um, well I...” Kiku tried to explain, only to be stopped by her, who gently patted his head. 

“Shh… It’s okay.” 

Kiku didn’t really like physical affection, it made him uncomfortable. Every time somebody touched him without his consent or by surprise, it was like bugs were crawling all over his skin, where he has been touched, for whole minutes after. 

But he didn’t mind it from his mother. It had the opposite effect, actually. His skin fed off her embrace like a leaf feeds off sunlight. It healed him like a band-aid heals a wound. She was the most precious person in his life and the only one who he could trust to touch him.

So when the woman hugged him (she was a much more affectionate person than him) he didn’t fight back, but quietly embraced her. 

  
  


Kiku packed his small luggage, adding the objects his mother bought him. Nothing much. Just a bunch of clothes, a new, still in the package, school uniform (bought by his mother online yesterday), his laptop, headphones and other devices. And his precious camera, of course! How could he forget it?

Finally the awaited day came.He woke up very early and, prepared, he exited the house and went to the car, accompanied by his mother. As it departed, he looked nostalgically from the backseat at his home, watching it as it got smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing after a corner. 

They finally arrived at the most nearby airport. It was very crowded, due to it being the only one in the region. After they went through all the checkers, they rested on a bench, eating some snacks they bought at the airport shops. 

Unfortunately for Kiku, his anxiety went through the roof and he could barely swallow his food. He was by nature an introvert. He loved loneliness, routine and silence. Here he had neither. The noise from the speakers bored into his skull like a drill perforates a wall. The voices of people didn’t help. He looked calm, but inside was mildly panicking. He didn’t have social anxiety, he just wasn’t used to so much noise.

“Hey, is everything okay?” mom asked him.

“No, not really. But I will get used to it I guess…” Kiku replied.

Finally, a computer voice echoed in the loud room. 

“Flight HE2020LP to Itami Airport, Osaka, gate 4B. Departures at 10:15AM.” 

The teen and his mother hurried to the aircraft. Once seated in, they were pleased to discover there was no screaming baby or loud middle-aged person full of complaints in the plane. It was relatively quiet, Kiku’s anxiety being slowly replaced by excitement as he watched the plane move on the runway for a good ten minutes, then rise above the ground, with an increasing speed. 

He watched as the houses got smaller, until the whole city and the villages close to it -including his- looked like dark embroideries on the valley's green cloth., webbed together by thin silk threads - the roads. Everything was surrounded by a tall forest, which from up there looked like a mere pattern, it's dark greens contrasting with the lighter ones of the glen. 

As the plane turned in the correct direction, to take the shortest pattern to Osaka, Kiku noticed the massive, yet low mountains, like needles lightly poking the earth cloth from the abyss of the earth. Next to the deep forest there was a large lake, but from the high, he felt like it was just a puddle he could splatter with his foot. 

The fragile canvas that was the earth, pushed, pulled, torn and rebound by the world, was probably expected to rip already, collapsing and killing all the villagers. And yet, there it was, defending itself with pride against the force of nature.

Once the plane found the right path to go in a straight line to the destination, it started increasing in altitude faster. In no time, Kiku found himself in a thick greyish-white fog - the clouds! When the fog was finally pierced by the airplane, the boy saw a spectacular view: The sun was shining brightly above an endless mat of apparent snow, dispersing white fascicles everywhere. 

In the picturesque landscape _-or skyscape-_ there was not the slightest hint of warmth. And, fair enough, air started condensing on Kiku’s window, blocking his view and significantly shortening this chapter. 

So he shut his window and slept peacefully. 

A warm pair of hands shaking his shoulders woke him up. Blinking to adjust to the light, he slowly shook his head, then his arms and his legs. 

“We’re over reaching our destination soon!” the gentle voice of his mother told him.

He raised the shut blinder on his window, looking outside. The clouds dissipated, leaving in sight the forest-covered ground. It was uneven, yet blunt and obtuse, like a crumpled piece of paper. 

_‘I slept while we flew above the sea, didn’t I?’_ he thought, gazing below him. 

Slowly the dark-green forests were replaced for a moment by the fields of the Kansai region, only for the greens to take over again

Finally, at the horizon, Kiku could see the houses in the airport’s city. They quickly engulfed the ground, the woodlands remaining defeated, left behind by the plane, which started to descend. Mesmerised, he watched the constructions get closer and closer. 

With a sudden shake, the aircraft landed . After it dashed for a couple of kilometers on the airport’s runway, the flight came to an end. A stewardess’ voice rang through the speakers, telling the passengers to stay calm and wait for the portable stairs to get attached to the plane’s exit. 

Finally, a couple of minutes later, Kiku, his mother and their small luggage walked on the ground, to pick up their larger ones.

However, their journey was not over yet: They took a 30-minute bus ride from the airport to the city, and looked for the school, using Google and some sketchy bus maps. They wandered around the city of Osaka, the second largest of Japan. Enormous skyscrapers towered over their small silhouettes, blocking an insanely large portion of the sky. Their grey colors were overshadowed by the colorful flashing ads that were practically EVERYWHERE. 

Kiku, who always lived in his village, was confused, for he didn’t know whether he was unsettled by the loud automobiles, the crowded places or the hundreds of buildings, or captivated by the bright signs everywhere, the fact that in every shop he looked into, there seemed to be a different atmosphere, a different world. Because, yes, the city was noisy and the city was busy, but it was _alive_ and that left Kiku fascinated.

When they found the academy, he was quite impressed. Just like Yào had told him, it was of massive proportions. And, while he saw the photos, they couldn’t capture the proud, yet still, look of the two buildings. The yard between the left and the right body was a little narrow, but long. Between the two, there was a wall, with two doors (behind which there was the PE gym and the garden, invisible to the visitors. The wide school area was surrounded by a thick wall, covered by grey marble. The entrance was see through, though, a sophisticated black gate. On its left, on the wall, there was a large plate with “Osaka International Highschool” engraved on it.

The gatekeeper waiting there let them in, leading them to the director. An exhausting hour and a couple of signed papers later, Kiku was in the possession of a shiny key to his apartment, as he unsteadily walked to the left body of the building.

Their footsteps and the wheels of his heavy luggage echoed in the marble tunnel, breaking the deathly silence. Using the elevator, they eventually reached the right floor level and found themselves face to face with an amber pinewood door. On it there was a silvery plate with the number 311 carved in it, matching Kiku’s key.

“That’s it!” his mother said, waiting for him to unlock and open it.

As he entered, he was blinded by the light bouncing on the spotless white walls. The opposite side of the room was all made of glass, with an exterior shutter, all cramped where the window touched the light-grey ceiling. The dark wood floor was covered partly by a thin carpet, which compressed softly under Kiku’s slippers. On the left side, there was a bed for one person, with white neatly folded blankets and two pillows. Next to it there was a nightstand, with a lamp for reading.An average-sized charcoal desk stood in the further right corner, facing the wall. It had a matching chair, with soft cushions. To its right, a simple small-scaled bookshelf was empty, except for a small notepad, from the school.

As soon as they put their outside clothes in the hook on the door, locking it, they collapsed exhausted on the bed. Kiku fell asleep immediately, too tired emotionally to realize how different this room was from what he was used to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiku meets new students in the first day of school.

Kiku spent the remaining three days in his room, with his mother, studying it closely and filling it with his belongings. He barely got out, except for necessities, like the meals the cafeteria served. He didn’t see any other students, except in a passing.

‘Is everyone in the west blonde?’ Kiku squinted. He still had been having a phone and Google since he was old enough, so he wasn’t completely unaware of life on the other side of the globe. But this left him puzzled. Welp, it is a coincidence, I guess!

He vividly remembers her little silhouette and her luggage disappearing behind the marble wall, as the few bits of the sky, uncovered by the skyscrapers, slowly shaded into the darker colors of the evening. He was fifteen after all, though. He couldn’t keep being pampered by her forever. He’ll be fine all by himself. He was fifteen, after all, though.

He slowly turned back and walked to his apartment, the soles of his feet lightly brushing the ground. 

Seated on his bed, he looked around the room, eyeing and studying every corner of it: the shelves of the wardrobes, the ends of the ceiling, and his opened baggage. 

A curious packet stood out to his onyx eyes in the latter. Picking it up, he realized it was his uniform, still unpacked. Opening it, he gazed at the fabric. The suit was composed of a simple white cotton shirt. Letting the Venetian blinds down, he changed into it. Quite comfortable. He analyzed the vest with the v-neck and the checkered pants, both of an exquisite shade of indigo, before putting them on. 

Kiku admired himself in the mirror inside his wardrobe's door. He didn't really consider himself beautiful, and, frankly, he didn't care about it too much. What were people compared to nature? But now he couldn’t help feel confident in his appearance: His neatly trimmed raven hair in a bowl cut, his new clothes and the way they fit. His grey eyes lit with contentment. He still didn't think he looked any beautiful, but he was more confident and it showed. 

He changed into his plain pyjamas and raised the blinds. The cityscape of Osaka was the last thing he had seen that day as he fell asleep in his bed.

  
  


He woke up 20 minutes before his alarm, at 7:40. After taking a shower in the bathroom next to his room and dressing in his uniform, he headed downstairs with a small backpack, containing notebooks and writing supplies. 

As he walked down the stairs, other students joined him, from the other floors of the building. Muttering a “Good morning!” well enough to pass as polite, he ignored them as he stepped.

When he finally reached the yard, he observed that it was full of students, all seemingly between the ages of 12 and 18. They were sitting in groups, talking and waiting for the school ceremony to start at 8:30. 

His attention was gotten by a group of three people. One was very tall and intimidating, yet cute, with curly platinum blonde hair. He was wearing a long thick scarf, even if outside was not that cold. It covered half of his chubby face, but not his strange pastel lilac eyes. 

Next to him there was a tad bit shorter girl, with golden curls, stuck in two star hairpins, on both sides, above her ears. The strange thing about her is that she didn’t wear her uniform. She was dressed in denim shorts and a crop top with the American flag printed on it. She was eating a snack she probably bought at the vending machine.

Finally, standing with his back to him, there stood someone with long ebony hair, tied in a ponytail that went over their shoulder. They were wearing their uniform, but the indigo vest was replaced by a 

mellow one. Anyone would have assumed that “they” are a girl, but Kiku knew that wasn’t true. The boy looked familiar. 

He must have been staring at him for a long period of time, because he didn’t notice the other two eyeing him and telling the third. When the student closer to him turned around, Kiku felt a jolt in his heart. 

‘ _Oh_.’

He was right. The black-haired was none other than his longtime online friend,  Wáng Yào himself. His warm amber eyes stirred feelings of familiarity in Kiku’s head. What was he supposed to do now? Talk to him? What would he even say without sounding awkward? Run and hug him? No, that would be weird. Did the Chinese even recognize him?

“Kiku?” he heard  Yào’s soft womanly voice for the first time. 

“Yào-san?” His voice shook a little.

“Is it _ you _ , Kiku?”

“Yes, I-” He was caught off-guard by the other hugging him. It would be cute if he didn’t like hugs from people, except his mother. And if it wouldn’t be in front of the whole school to see. On his first day there. 

He slowly backed away, uneasy from the attention he was receiving. 

Yào looked concerned.

“Aiyaa, I am sorry! I forgot you hate being touched!”

“It’s ... it’s okay.” He shuddered. 

“Yeah…” A short awkward pause followed. “But I am so happy to see you!” He gave a big smile from the depths of his heart, closing his eyes.

“Me too, Yào.” Kiku reciprocated with a humble tug of his lips.

“Um, _dude_ , what are ya doin’ now?” the girl asked, with a heavy Southern accent, ruining their moment. 

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you! This is Kiku, my online friend!” he exclaimed. “It’s  _ him. _ ” he whispered to them, hoping Kiku won’t hear him. He did. 

“Is this shortie the one who you were squealin’ for in your room?!” the American obnoxiously yelled. 

Even if he didn’t hear, it was the girl’s reply who heated Yào’s ears in shame. It was his turn to become embarrassed.

Ignoring him, she turned her attention to Kiku.

“ _Howdy_! I reckon you’re Kiku now! I am Amelia!”

“Nice to meet you Amelia. Welcome to my country. Please treat me kindly.” he responded, bowing slightly. 

Amelia turned her attention to  Yào. 

“This fella sure is polite.”

“Yeah, I know… I guess no one’s perfect…” he responded.

“Yeah, but he’s the wrong kind of imperfect. Too perfect.” Amelia whispered.

“Kiku can hear you. He looks uncomfortable” a shy nasal voice was heard. 

The three turned their eyes to the platinum-haired kid. 

“Hello Kiku. I am Ivan, do you want to be friends? I am Russian so I don’t speak good English. Sorry.” he spoke with a thick accent.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ivan-san. Of course we can become friends.”

“I am glad to have friends. I don't really have ones”

“Um, you have me! And Amelia.”  Yào quickly retorted.

“But she … I do not think she likes me.”

“And _me_?” 

The Russian fidgeted anxiously, Kiku noticing a dust of pink blush appearing on his pale cheeks.

“Of course. We are _friends_ …”

Yao didn’t seem to notice Ivan’s awkward gestures, as he continued:

“And your english is not bad, I told you! If you keep trying, you will add more vocabulary from what you already know!”

“Exactly!” he answered, a little more cheerful. “Without torture, there is no science!”

‘ _What_ -’ Kiku looked at the Russian. He was smiling brightly, but he was more intimidating. He could swear he saw a dark aura around him, engulfing the air around him.

Yào, noticing Kiku’s tension explained: “Yiwan sometimes translated Russian idioms directly into English. And most of those are either scary, or plain weird, so he often seems like a creep. He is actually a great person!” he said, patting Ivan’s hair.

The latter’s intimidating aura dissolved, feeling Yào’s hand. He covered his face with his scarf and ran away, yelling “I’m _embarrassed_!”

“He is … shy.” the Chinese explained. 

Kiku and Amelia exchanged glances in the awkward silence. Was he really oblivious? From what they had seen, Ivan had a crush on their friend. Amelia nodded her head, confirming that this kind of scenario happened before too.

A loud voice echoed in the shallow hall between the buildings. Out of one of the bodies came a tall man, dressed in a formal suit. His fair hair, went a little past his shoulders, framing his cheerless face. Kiku saw him before: when he had enrolled in school, after the flight. 

“Welcome to a new year. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it better than the last. And hopefully…” he eyed two girls in the crowd, one butch, with short blonde hair and one with a snow white hair that reached her waist “... hopefully we will have less… incidents.” The latter smirked.

“Does she have _any_ will to live?” Yào whispered, squinting at her.

“Kiku, those fellas are the Beilschmidt sisters, the director’s nephews. The tall one is Julia. She’s an albino, but there are some teachers that suspect she dyes her hair that way. She had conflicts with ‘em ever since she came in this school. She was saved by her grandfather, but she turned into a rebel.” Amelia’s loud whisper was heard, as the director kept listing his monotonous speech, one we won’t care about. 

“The other one’s Monika. She still has hope, but she likes following her sis, y’know? Julia’s her role model. She’s her older sis’ sidekick when shit goes down. Lac when they put a bunch of salt in miss Ganbaatar’s coffee. We ain’t liking her too much anyway. She moved here from Mongolia a long time ago to teach geography. She is perhaps lac a hundred years old, who knows? No one knows why she hasn’t retired. Perhaps she likes making students’ lives hell. Specifically these two.” she continued, pointing at Yào and Ivan, far in the crowd, but approaching them.

While Kiku understood the reasoning, he was a little taken aback by her blunt approach. Not like he minded it, but maybe because she was whispering at the moment.

“So I found Yiwan and brought him back.” Yào announced.

“...Therefore I will wish you a great year and I request everyone to go to his classroom.” the thick german accent of the elderly director was heard.

The happy group walked to the school body on the right. They were all in the same classroom, 4A. 

Once Kiku stepped in the classroom, the first thing he saw was the blackboard, decorated in pretty drawings of the sakura flower. The walls were as white as the rest of the building, except for one, on the opposite side of the door. The latter was made out of glass, with a row in the middle with wide open windows. 

The desks were distributed evenly across the classroom. On each of them there were a couple of textbooks and a timetable. In the left of the room, in the front of the blackboard, there was a desk longer than the others, the one which belonged to the teachers. On it there was a small vase with pink carnations. 

Sitting at his assigned seat, next to the window. Due to it being open, the air around him was chilly, but not too cold, so he could withstand it. 

After everyone was seated in their correct places and the noise quieted down, Kiku saw that a teacher appeared in front of the class. 

"Good morning, everyone. I am Romulus Vargas and I will not only be your history teacher, but also the one responsible for your class." he excitedly announced, giving a big smile. 

Despite looking like he was in his forties, his positive attitude made him appear very young. His messy ginger hair curled in the weirdest places, giving him a strange look.

"Today is a very special year for all of you, because it's the first year of senior high school. But today we have a new student." his loud and italian voice reverberated through the room's walls. "Kiku Honda. To get you accustomed to this school, I chose a student to show you around here and help you make friends!" 

Yào pouted. That wasn't fair, he wanted to show Kiku around. The teacher knew, but wanted to help the chosen child to socialize too.

"Tsubaki Yamamoto, would you mind showing Kiku our school?" 

A boy wearing a cute hoodie flinched a little, caught off-guard by the teacher. When he turned around to face our protagonist, Kiku was happily surprised to see his familiar Japanese facial features. His narrow, gold-colored eyes squeezed shut as he brushed loose hair who got in them. His chocolate-milk-like hair was messily tied in a ponytail, but that didn't stop it from getting everywhere. 

"Um … yes, of course." Tsubaki shyly smiled at Kiku. While the boy was sincere in his excitement, Kiku couldn't help notice the uncomfortable expression he had. He didn't like having all eyes on him, so they were both glad when the Mr. Vargas' (and the class') focus moved from them to other subjects. 

Finally, the teacher announced they have free for the rest of the day to wander around the school yards.

"Um… so… do you want to… you want to come see the garden?" the new boy asked him, fidgeting with his hands. 

"I would be honored." he encouragingly said. 

To his surprise, Tsubaki took his hand, running outside the classroom, outside the building. 

'Are these the surprises life has to offer?' Kiku wondered, gripping the other's hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiku and others on school grounds.

The chocolate haired boy finally stopped in front of a door. Specifically, one of those between the school bodies.

He searched through the large pockets of his hoodie. Whatever was he trying to find was probably buried under many wrappers and other objects, stocked there since forever, who knows? Finally, Tsubaki went  _ "aha!" _ and proudly took out a metal key, whose polish faded from overuse. 

He introduced it in the door's locker, made out of the same material as the key. The door slowly opened with a low-pitched shriek, which sent unpleasant shivers up Kiku's spine. How come this prestigious school had such a loud door, honestly?

As if he read his thoughts, the brunet explained:

"It's a little rusty, but because of the humidity that sometimes accumulates on the other side. Come on!" He pulled the other's sleeve.

The floral scented air surrounded Kiku, holding onto him like influences clinging to one's behavior, as soon as he stepped inside. Behind the door there was the garden Yào told him about. A small circle of water existed in the space. In the middle there was an island, with a little table and chairs on it. A crimson bridge connected it to the territory outside the water. Multiple kinds of flowers were planted next to the wall close to Kiku. 

"Your name is Kiku, correct?" asked Tsubaki cheerfully, switching to Japanese. 

"Yeah, it is," the other responded, noticing his strong Kansai, Osaka-ben dialect.

"Look," he said, pointing to a row of chrysanthemums next to him. They hadn’t bloomed yet (September was a little too early), but he recognized them anyway, because his mother had plenty of them in her garden, and she used to water them everyday. "A  _ kiku _ . Just like you."

He lowered himself, bending his knees to admire one of the flowers from closer. Yet, this one caught his eye. Kiku looked at the flower sharing his name, careful to not touch it, to not ruin its fragile equilibrium. From the raw, short petals, he saw their slightly concave tips, pointing towards the center. The dark green sepals held the yellow corolla like a child’s fist clenching around palpable sunrays.

"You've been staring for 3 minutes." Tsubaki's voice broke him out of his daze. "Won't you come with me to see the rest of the flowers?" he asked. 

They strolled around the garden, looking at all the flower types, either 

Finally, the two walked on the red bridge, Kiku looking down into the shallow water. As Yào said, there weren't koi, or any kind of fish at all. The circular puddle was empty.

They sat on the little island, at the table.

"So… what brought you here?" the chocolate milk haired boy questioned, giving a small smile while pulling out a sandwich.

"I got sent here in hopes of better education by my mother."

"Depending on the teacher, you might've made the right choice. I've been here most of my life so I can't tell, really." 

"You've lived almost all your life in Osaka?"

"Yeah, I did. Foreign people usually tell me they can see that because of the accent or something." he unsurely said.

"I hope I am no bother to you, but I wonder if you have the time and energy to do me a favor."

"Okay, go on, I'll listen." he said, then took a bite out of his sandwich and waited.

"May you please show me around the city?"

"Hmm… I'll see when I have time… I'd be more than happy to, though."

The door's screech made the two turn their heads. 

"Tsubaki? You're here?" a gruff voice asked in English.

The boy raised his head from his snack.

"Oh, Govert, it's you. Come here."

A tall, intimidating guy appeared behind the door. He was wearing a bleumarin scarf with a white stripe over the uniform. On his forehead laid a small vertical scratch. His spiky, gravity-defying hair, reminded Kiku of a tulip. His narrow, green eyes seemed hostile to Kiku. 

But when he saw Tsubaki, they softened. At least a little.

“You forgot your key in the door. Somebody could have stolen it” he scolded him. Passing him the key, he advised “Be more careful next time!”

The other hummed in approval, still eating the sandwich, and put it in one of his pockets. Afterwards he turned again to him.

“Anyways, I should introduce you to each other. Govert, this is Kiku, the new kid Mr. Vargas has told us about,” he announced, after swallowing.

The other Japanese gave a polite smile.

“Kiku, this is my friend Govert. He comes from the Netherlands. He is a nice person once you get to know him. And he doesn’t want to be asked why he smells like wee-”

He was cut off by the Dutch.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Please treat me kindly.” He stood up and bowed.

“Do you want to explore more places?” asked Tsubaki, having finished his food.

“Only if you wish. I, personally, have all day.” Kiku responded.

“Good. Govert is coming with us too?”

“I don’t want to ruin your fun, but Kiku hasn’t eaten since yesterday,” he attentioned the other.

“Oh, aren’t you so considerate, Govert? If that’s the problem, we can go to the cafeteria!” he exclaimed, getting up and tossing the sandwich bag into one of the hoodie's pockets. 

"I do not want to appear inconsiderate, but why did you bring your sandwich if we have a food cafeteria?"

"Well, you see, today we have a menu similar to yesterday. I do not like that, so I bring my own, correct?" he said, fidgeting with his fingers, a little shy. 

"What a waste of money." Govert dryly remarked. 

"Oh, don't worry about him, that's how he shows he cares." Tsubaki defended him to Kiku, smiling to himself, only to get lightly pounced in the arm by the Dutch. He giggled to himself, his face turning a little red as his long lashes fluttered. His friend looked away, a little embarrassed, trying to hide any sign of softness and care, to look more mature. 

The group left the garden and carefully closed the old door with the key, then they headed to the building on their right. 

As soon as they opened the door, they were welcomed by the warm, food-scented air. Kiku's stomach growled. The cafeteria had around 10 long tables, with table cloths and long benches. On the opposite side of the large room, there was a buffet, full of food. No one was there but the three approached it and took three of the prepared meals, still warm. Each consisted of a main dish, made out of meat, a side one, with vegetables, both accompanied by a bowl of plain rice. Next to them there was a bowl of miso soup, a small carton of milk and a persimmon, ripened and sweet. They sat at one of the tables closer to the exit doors and began eating.

“I thought you wouldn’t eat this food, because it was like yesterday’s menu.” Govert stated, before slurping the soup loudly, because that’s polite in Japan.

“Well, the more food, the better!” exclaimed Tsubaki happily, as he used chopsticks to mix a bit of rice with meat strips. “Talking about food, will you drink that?” he asked, pointing to Kiku’s milk carton.

Kiku, who ate in silence, raised his head to answer.

“I am lactose intolerant, so sure. You may take it.” he responded, taking a small water bottle out of his backpack.

“Thank you.”

They finished the rest of their meals quietly and walked out the door. The sun’s rays permeated slightly through the clouds; if the sky was clear, it would be the closest possible to the zenith, indicating noon. The grey and white pattern reflected itself onto the clean window walls the school had.

“Hello there!” a womanly voice was heard. Turning their heads to its source, Kiku and company saw Yào, next to the opposite body of the building, waving at them, as he approached them, alongside Ivan.

Kiku said nothing, but he raised his hand in acknowledgement. On the opposite, Tsubaki waved back at the Chinese, happy to see him.

“Where were you two?” he asked, ignoring Govert’s existence.

“Ah, nothing much, I showed Kiku our garden and we ate in the cafeteria a late breakfast, because none of us ate in the morning, before school.”

“I see…”

The Dutch rolled upwards his sleeve, exposing a stylish beige wristwatch. 

“It’s around 1PM, where else should we go now?” he asked Tsubaki, interrupting his conversation with Yào.

Before he could answer, a sweet girly voice made him turn his head. 

“Big brother!” 

On his right, a girl, around 11 years old, was sprinting towards him. Her short, honey-colored, wavy hair fluttered in the air. Tied to it, a satin ribbon was almost falling off, its rich, red color matching the uniform she wore, consisting of a knee-length skirt in a checkered velvety pattern, fastened around the waist with both buttons and two stripes of cloth going over the girl’s shoulders, above a plain white shirt. Around her neck there was a green tie, a few shades darker than her eye color.

“Yes, Bella?” he considerately asked, catching and picking her up, making her giggle a little.

“I need some help with my room, pleaaaase.”

“Can’t you ask me later?” he dryly asked, not wanting to leave his schoolmates just yet.

“Nope. And if you don’t come, I tell mom!”

“Fine.” He sighed, putting her down and addressing the group.

“I’m sorry, I can’t stay anymore.”

“Ah, it’s no problem, really.” Tsubaki reassured him, turning around quickly enough for his high ponytail to lower a little, messing up his hair a little. “We’ll just go without you.” 

Govert approached him, tucking a few strands of chaotic hair behind his ear, then patted his head. The Japanese closed his eyes, his eyelids partially hidden by his long lashes. He jokingly tried pushing his hand away, only to have it, along with the other, around his chest, waist and upper back, in a side hug. 

“You don’t act like a cheapskate with your gestures, hm?”

“So?”

Tsubaki didn’t answer and the Dutch lingered on him for a few seconds before letting go. He waved and, dragged by his impatient sister, he left.

“Are you two together or something?” Yào half-jokingly asked. 

“I didn’t ask myself this before…” he responded, making a questioning face. “I mean, I do get along with him better than anybody else… And he does seem to act differently around me than others… And, now that I think of it, he is very cute…” His eyes widened a little, looking downward, his stumped expression turning a little pink “And I honestly don’t know…” 

“I wasn’t asking it for real, don’t worry. You two look cute together so I thought… okay, sorry.”

Ivan, quietly listening the whole time, buried his face in his scarf again, looking away. Kiku could feel the question he had on his mind, like humid air: _ “Wouldn’t we look cute together too?” _

To the Russian’s horror, Yào noticed it too. 

“Aren’t you hot, with so many clothes on? Take your scarf off, at least.”

That was the wrong thing to say, Kiku thought, as he watched the few exposed bits of the Russian’s pale face turn a darker color.

“See, you’re all red; you must be sweating!” he exclaimed, pulling the scarf off. 

Ivan, with no cover, froze in his position, unable to run, speak English, or do anything other than act embarrassed and shift his weight from one foot to another.

“Does he do that often?”

“Yeah, he suddenly turned shy at the end of the last year. And I don’t get why… Why do people do whatever he is doing right now?”

“Well, usually one acts this way around their love interest,” Kiku, the most terrible romance expert, added. 

“But he is  _ always  _ doing it!” Yào retorted.

“ _ Da _ , don’t think about it too hard.” Ivan spitefully mumbled. Words which would;’ve made the other understand his feelings and probably love him back and date him… if the sentence wasn’t in Russian.

“Hey, Yiwan, you’re okay? You’ve been acting really strangely lately.”

Behind his back, Tsubaki whispered to Kiku, holding back a giggle.

“Who’s gonna tell him?”

“Oh, don’t you dare,” he responded. “Ivan, not anyone else.”

The Russian, having came back to his senses, told the group:

“Sorry, I am fine now. Kinda lost my English.”

Yào sighed. 

“Good. Now what should we do?”

“I have an idea!” Tsubaki raised his hand. “How about we visit each other’s rooms?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanations:   
> 1\. The Kansai dialect is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region of Japan. The Kansai dialect is typified by the speech of Osaka, the major city of Kansai, which is referred to specifically as Osaka-ben. It is characterised as being both more melodic and harsher by speakers of the standard language.  
> 2\. Kiku (菊) translates as chrysanthemum, one of Japan's national flowers. The yellow Japanese chrysanthemum is a symbol of Japan's Imperial family. It blooms between late September and November, being an autumn flower.  
> 3\. Slurping noodle-based food loudly in Japan is considered accepted, because it prevents one from getting messy.
> 
> Other notes: I would like to add that Japanese schools don't have a cafeteria, the students eat in class, to learn about keeping the school clean. This academy is an exception due to most characters (except Tsubaki - he's a local) living in a room offered by school. 
> 
> A large percentage of Japanese people are lactose intolerant, so I decided so will Kiku.
> 
> If there are any questions/plotholes please feel free to point them out (but I have to admit it's not the most solid AU; I just wanted a legitimate reason to have students of different nationalities, while making the plot seem real).


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yào and Kiku cuddle. Yes, this is mainly an unrequited nichu fanfic. I am sorry.

"That would be amazing, there is only a problem," Ivan told everyone. "I have to go soon to help my sisters," he continued, before leaving. 

"Well, I guess then it's just the three of us." Tsubaki affirmed, but he was stopped by his phone ringing. 

He picked it up, moved away from others and answered. Shortly after, he put the device in his endless hoodie pockets. 

"I'm sorry, but I also have to go, I almost forgot to return something to its owner," he shouted at them while running as fast as possible to the dorms, waving them goodbye.

"There's only the two of us now." Yào noticed.

"Yes." Kiku responded. 

"So, what do you want to do?" 

"Well… um… I don't know. I am quite tired."

"How about we visit each other's rooms?"

"But I haven't unpacked in mine." 

"Then you can just come stay in mine." 

"I appreciate your hospitality, but I do not want to disturb."

"Are you kidding me? You're one of the least disturbing things I know!" Yào retorted, dragging the Japanese towards the right school body.

Soon enough, they were standing in the front of a door similar to Kiku's, but with the number 512 written on the thin silver-colored plate. Yào pulled out his key and they entered, changing their shoes to indoors slippers. 

The room’s plan was just like Kiku’s: A bed on the left, a window wall on the other side of the room and a desk with a small bookshelf on the right. The same white walls, the same darkwood flooring. But its contents were quite different. Instead of the white, spotless, clean air his own room had, Yào’s gave a red, warm, cozy atmosphere. A wide, crimson rug, with chinoiserie patterns, covered a portion of the floor. To the left, the bed sheets weren’t white, but deep red. From the ceiling, above the nightstand, hung a medium-sized, long, Chinese lantern, with red tassels. On the right, the bookshelf was half full of books (in both English and Chinese) and other objects, like ceramic figurines depicting people or animals. From one of the shelf’s upper corners, all the way to the large window, a thread of spherical lanterns, small enough to hold in your hand, suspended around a meter above the desk, on which there was scattered stationery. 

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable?" he asked, pointing at the edge of the bed. "You can sit there."

Kiku nodded and did as he was told, leaving his backpack close to the entrance, with his feet dangling off the side of the bed. Yào followed his movement, standing next to him, close enough so their sides almost touched. 

"I am so glad to have met you in person, Kiku," the other confessed.

"Me too, Yào-san." 

Nobody had told this to him before. He looked to his side, at Yào. He was gazing at him dreamily. Kiku saw his eyes from up close for the first time. They looked warm, kind and affectionate. They looked like endless golden pools of sunlit honey. He saw himself reflected in Yào’s intense gaze. He wanted to let himself be embraced by it.

Realizing he had been staring, he pulled away, afraid he might have creeped the other out. He returned his look to the wall, but flinched when he felt something on the side of his waist - Yào’s hand. His eyes widened and he felt his soul ascend to the heavens.

“Oh my, are you okay?” he asked, taking his hand off Kiku.

“Yeah, do not worry.” 

He wanted to ask the other to put it back, but he struggled to speak. Words were like fragile, tiny beads that he had to string together on a thick thread, with split ends, to form a sentence. So he simply leaned on the other. 

“I thought you didn’t like being touched,” Yào mentioned, forming a smile.

And he was right. Strangely, though, his touch was different. He didn’t feel uncomfortable as he usually did. Instead, Yào’s body, warm, healed him from the empty feeling of tiredness resting in his body, comforting him like a safe haven. Kiku didn’t realize how much he needed it; how touchstarved; how emotionally deprived he was until now. He sighed, comforted, closing his eyes.

“Did that change?” 

He shrugged, shaking his head.

“Do you mind if I do this?” Yào asked, putting his arm behind Kiku’s back and around his waist, pulling him even closer.

“No.” He tried giving a firm answer, distracting himself by gazing at the white wall, but his voice came out a little shaky. 

“Okay then,” he responded, caressing Kiku’s side.

The Japanese pressed onto Yào, wrapping his hands around his neck and pressing his face on his shoulder. Unluckily, he shifted his hair tie a little, causing it to loosen. 

“Wait a second, let me fix that,” the other said, taking his hands off Kiku and untying it. Ombre threads, like made of silk, cascaded downwards onto Yào's shoulders and below. Lightweight strands brushed Kiku’s soft cheek, tickling him. The warm sunshine dispersed onto them, painting golden iridescences on its small swirls. 

“You can keep it like that, if you wish,” Kiku blurted out, almost slapping himself right then and there, if it wasn’t for the rather inconvenient place his hands were in.

“Why?” Yào asked, putting the tie aside and letting his hair loose. 

“Your hair is nice and ... I mean- I mean you look cute. Sorry, that, um, came out wrong.”

“You think I look cute?” he squealed. “Look at yourself! You’re so adorable!” he added, holding the small man’s torso in his arms.

“U-uh I… well…”

“Did I squeeze you too hard?”

“A little.” 

“Sorry…” he said, attempting to pull away.

Kiku still held onto his neck, resting his body against his, his head now on the other’s chest. 

“I don’t mind laying on you.”

“Okay then.” 

Yào turned his body a little and moved one foot on the bed, so his spine sat a little more straight, closing his eyes and humming quietly. Kiku looked upwards at his friend, seeing him for the first time with his hair down. To his surprise, he looked more masculine than with a ponytail, curved strands framing his sharp cheekbones. For a half an hour or more, he laid on his body and gazed, without stopping, at Yào, whose smooth chest slowly moved up and down, after his steady breaths. Kiku’s heart seemed to warm up at the realization he loved everything about the person holding him ever-so-tightly in his arms.

“I … really like you,” he shyly whispered, not realizing he said it out loud.

“I like you too, Kiku. You’re the best friend I have.” 

Yào paused a little.

“Have you ever loved someone, Kiku?”

“I am not sure. I didn’t meet a lot of people,” he responded, taken aback. “Have  _ you _ ?”

“Yes, I have. I would not tell anyone, but I trust you, ok?”

Kiku nodded.

“Ivan.”

No matter how much he struggled to receive the new information, he felt like it just wouldn’t go to his head. He didn’t know why was his heart in denial in the first place. Why were Yào’s feelings for Ivan stirring inside him a deep sentiment of … jealousy?

“You are really quiet.”

“Mh-hm.” He closed his eyes to analyze his emotions better, only to realize he couldn’t wrap his head around them. 

Suddenly, Yào’s body seemed to lower beneath himself, startling his height falling instincts, resulting in his back arching forward in a flinch. The other pulled him downwards, with him, and Kiku relaxed. As a result, he was currently sitting with his head on Yào, both lying on the soft red bed sheets. He turned around, pressing half of his face onto his chest, as the other embraced him around his waist. Kiku dozed off in Yào’s tender arms with a small smile.

When he woke up, the light in the room had dimmed considerably and the air felt heavy and dense, like a thick jelly. Compared to it, his own body seemed lightweight and mushy. He lifted his face from Yào and rubbed his own cheek, tracing the imprint the other's clothes left on it with his fingers. Yào was still sleeping, lightly snoring, with his head turned slightly to the side and his hair messily splattered around in cascades of amber. No matter how cute he looked asleep, Kiku didn’t want to invade his personal space. Self-conscious, he pulled himself away from Yào, taking his arms, wrapped around himself, placing them besides the sleeper. Then he sat next to him, waiting for him to wake up. 

A loud noise interrupted the peaceful moment. Kiku flinched, annoyed and directed his gaze towards the door, which opened with a  _ bang _ . 

“HOWDY!” Amelia shouted. “We’ve been lookin for you everywhere now! Why-” she stopped yelling, noticing a just-woken-up, groggy Yào, giving her a death stare. 

Next to the door appeared a certain Russian’s figure.

“I suggested to her we should be quiet, sorry,” he whispered, like Yào was still asleep.

The Chinese mumbled something, disgruntled, and slowly lifted himself, so he was standing up, with his feet dangling off the side of the bed. 

“What were you two doing?” Ivan asked, innocently.

“Uh… Sleeping together?” Yào answered, half asleep.

Both Amelia and Kiku saw Ivan’s expression turn slightly sharper. The American put her hand over his shoulder, jokingly comforting him, amused. The Japanese, mentally facepalming the situation, glanced at the Russian apologetically, in denial of the subtext Yào was accidentally sending.

“Are you three okay?” the Chinese said, looking around at all of them, squinting his eyes and rubbing them.

“Go back to sleep.”

“Rude.”

“Aw, come own now… Don’t pitch a fit,” she mocked him playfully. “Very poor choice of words you had there.”

“Oh.” Yào widened his eyes, finally thinking about what he just said. 

“‘Oh’ is appropriate, fella.” 

“It’s not what it looks like,” Kiku mumbled. 

“You were not cuddling together? That’s what it looks like to me,” the Russian questioned him, turning his amethyst eyes towards Kiku. “You were touching Yaochka, da?”

A dark, heavy atmosphere settled in the room, swirling around Ivan’s body like gaseous wicked tentacles. The Japanese wondered if he knew about the aura he emanated. His lightweight cute smile said no, his deep purple, almost creepy eyes said definitely. In them madness and good will swirled around each other, crocheting a unique pattern; each of them ruining what the other created, both working in their own law to weave his personality.

“Dude, you need to chill,” Amelia said while patting his shoulder.

“ _ Da _ , I am sorry,” he responded, the maliciousness inside his eyes vanishing, leaving his true self: an innocent soul who only wanted the well-being of others. A streak of jealousy was still prominent in his eye. Kiku was so caught up noticing it, he didn’t realize he had it too.

“Big brother! I found you!” a throaty voice snarled.

A girl, a little younger than them, hurried into Yào’s room. Her platinum hair had gold streaks on it, unlike Ivan’s ashy one. It was long and silken, tied with a white bow above her forehead. Her violet eyes were slightly darker than her brother’s. She wore the dark blue version of girls’ uniform, with thick white stockings and indigo flat buckle shoes, with round toe, like a doll’s. Despite her appearance, she looked quite scary, clinging on Ivan, frowning at Yào. It was very obvious she was his sister.

“What were you doing here?”

“Searching for my friends,” he answered, startled.

“Well, you found them. Now come with me!” she grunted, trying to pull him by his arms and terribly failing. “Spend time with me too, dammit!”

“But I do!” he wailed, lowkey scared, despite the difference between them. “I need time for myself too.”

“I knew you would get attached to your friends. To that  _ damn _ sister we have. And leave me behind.”

He sighed. 

“I never want that to happen.”

“Me neither. I’ll be with you forever. Even if you don’t want me to.”

She made a short pause. 

“Let’s go do something,” she calmly proposed. “ _ The devil _ is coming.” She gestured at the slightly darkened sky.

“She calls 4PM  _ the devil _ ,” Ivan explained like it was nothing, earning a raised eyebrow from Kiku.

By this time Yào got up, tying his hair in a ponytail after brushing his fingers through it, in an attempt to comb it, so it looked neater.

“We can go see your room, Ivan,” he suggested. “And for goodness' sake, take your scarf off, you’ll sweat and get a cold!”

The siblings and Amelia waited for the Asians to change their shoes and lock the door, then all of them, with the Russian in the lead, fled to his room. Kiku couldn’t help but notice that Yào and Ivan’s hands brushed against each other, a little too often to be accidental, and neither seemed to mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The visit to Ivan's room almost reveals to Kiku the existence or something dark in the Braginsky family's past.   
> Asians.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there will people who will get offended with this fanfiction for whatever reason, the first reason will be this chapter.

Finally, they reached Ivan’s room. He took out a key from the inside pocket of his cream-colored coat. Very hardly, though, due to his sister clinging on him. He opened the door and entered, making a hand gesture for the others to come in, who followed him.

One might’ve guessed by now that all rooms have the same structure. Ivan’s room separated itself from them in several ways. The chamber had an obscure atmosphere, since there was no source of light, but a lightbulb on the ceiling.A large animal skin, with fur, laid on the floor as a carpet. The bedsheets, as well as the wall above the bed, was covered by two large embroidered tapestries. On the right side, the desk was messy, stationery scattered everywhere, over a rather neatly placed tablecloth. The bookshelf contained plenty of leather-bound books, with hard covers and complex titles written in thin golden cyrilic letters on the spines. Some of the spaces in the shelves were filled with photos of himself and his family, inside thick dark wooden frames. 

Kiku looked closer at the pictures, careful to be discreet enough. The largest one had five people in it; he could easily recognize Ivan, the tallest out of all of them, and his sister, in the middle. Next to her was a young woman, seemingly in her twenties, with a headband in her short greyish hair and a big, warm smile. She held the sister tightly, but the other didn’t seem too happy about it, frowning as her breasts squished the side of her face. Perhaps she was Ivan’s sibling too? Behind the two there was a woman, taller than both of them. Deep wrinkles formed around her eyes, as she smiled to the camera. Between Ivan and his sister, with his hand on the former’s shoulder stood a man, almost as tall as the Russian. His hair, strangely, wasn’t the color of ash Ivan and the unknown women had, but it was fair blonde, like his little sister’s. The two were definitely older, they must be their parents, Kiku thought. 

He studied the photos, but one left him asking questions. It was the smallest and the most worn out one, crumpled with traces showing something spilled on it at some point in time. Tall and thin; it had the previous unknown women, but they were considerably younger. The parent looked around twenty five and the girl, around four. Their clothes looked patched and torn and had strong eye bags under their eyes. The thing that attracted his attention was the fact that the picture seemed cropped, one of its edges torn; he could see the side of someone standing on the left side. His hair definitely wasn’t blonde like the father’s from the second picture. He was definitely another man. 

“What the fuck are you staring at?” the long-haired girl growled at him, launching herself between him and the frames.

“Natasha, please stop being like that with my friends!” Ivan weakly asked her.

“He was staring. At the pictures,” she said, putting her hands on her waist. “At  _ that _ picture,” she added, in a low voice, cracking at the end. 

Ivan nodded, slightly frowning. He touched the said photo and gently turned it face-down.

“Wait, what was that, big guy?” Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“If he doesn’t want to tell you, he won’t! And he doesn’t!” 

The Chinese definitely knew what was happening.

“And why doesn’t he?”

The American definitely didn’t know what was happening.

“I think we should stop asking. It doesn’t concern us.” 

The Japanese was unwilling to know what was happening, to not disturb one’s privacy.

“Thank goodness.” 

The Russian tried to hide that he knew what was happening.

“Keep away from it, though!” 

The other Russian screeched, not caring that she showed she knew what was happening.

Ivan sighed, lifting the blinds to let the sunlight in. The room looked cozier this way, Kiku thought. 

Natalia dumped herself on his bed, which creaked in response. 

“So what the hell are we supposed to do until dinner comes already?” she asked.

“How ‘bout we play a board game now?” Amelia asked, pulling a large Monopoly box, hidden under the desk.

Kiku nodded. So did Yào and Ivan, after thinking a little. 

“That game ruins friendships. I’m in,” Natalia announced.

After a murderous game of Monopoly, that resulted in Amelia winning, much to her frienemy’s dismay, Ivan, she jolted upwards, gloriously, like the American flag was waving in the background and the national anthem was playing.

“What’s the time?” 

Amelia took her phone out of her incredibly small pockets. Her phone case was of a certain white, blue and red. She checked the time.

“It’s half past six now.”

“Don’t we have dinner soon?” Yào asked, pulling Ivan’s sleeve.

“I think so, Yàochka.”

The Chinese got up, offering his hand to help the Russian do the same, then Kiku.

After they exited the room, closing it, they hurried to the cafeteria.

The warm scent of food floated in the air, luring them inside.

“This smells yummy!” Yào exclaimed, his face lighting up. He really loves dinner.

“Hello there!” a boy shouted at them. 

Kiku could swear on half of his little finger that he heard the Chinese mutter something along the lines of “And there he is…” The boy, despite his weird position in the chair and the fact he looked younger than them, was obviously taller and more muscular than both of them. He had short messy black hair, with a lively curl hanging from it. He wore a white shirt, under a black, loose sweater. His face was brightly lit up by the blue light of his loud device. He gave the vibe of a naturally happy person, so happy that one could easily get annoyed with him.

“Hello there … Yong Soo,” he sheepishly greeted.

“Yào- _ seonbae _ ! You can sit with me if you would like to!” he yelled excitedly, offering him a seat; Kiku noticed the Korean suffix, relative with the Japanese  _ senpai _ , used with people being in a school for longer than you.

“Please be quieter…” Yào sighed, but did not refuse.

“Are you the new student?” Yong Soo asked, looking at Kiku.

“Yes, it is me. My name is Kiku Honda. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yong Soo- _ kun _ .” He bowed, showing respect for the other.

“You use honorifics too!” The Korean smiled, all the way up to his ears. “We will be great friends, Kiku!” he exclaimed, as he frantically shook his hand. 

“Yong-Soo, you're scaring him!" Yào interrupted, protective of Kiku. 

"Do not worry, I am okay, really," Kiku assured him. 

" _ Xiān shēng _ , you can, like, sit here if you mind."

The boy who spoke had dark brown hair, like Yào's. Unlike his, it was short and choppy, like he tried to cut it by himself with a pair of scissors. His eyes were a few shades lighter than the other's, the color of coffee. He had unusually thick eyebrows. Despite this, he obviously cared a lot about his clothes, spotless, without wrinkles, and as color-coordinated as possible. 

"Hm, I'll just sit between you and Kiku."

"But,  _ seonbae _ , who will sit with me? Kiku, can you?"

The Japanese nodded silently and sat on the bench between the Chinese and the Korean.

"I guess we will sit on the other side of the table," Ivan concluded. "Wait, Amelia left."

Indeed, she was a couple of tables away, surrounded by girls her age. Kiku recognized the German sisters and other yet unknown classmates of theirs. 

Ivan seated himself on the other side from Yào, followed by his sister, clinging onto his arm.

A tall woman, obviously a senior, walked close to the Russian. Her hair, short and tied with a headband above the forehead, was just like his. She looked exactly like the younger woman in those pictures. Natalia growled at her, like a pissed off cat, not happy to see her.

“Ah,  _ Katyusha _ ! Welcome!” he cheerfully invited her, ignoring his sister.

“Thank you, Ivan,” she responded, staying next to him, using him as a protective barrier between her and her sister.

“So, seriously now, when is food coming already?” 

“I don’t know, _Katyusha_ , why so impatient?” Yào responded.

The boy with chopped hair raised his eyebrow, shrugging, confused at his rather harsh tone.

“Be patient with him,  _ gēgē _ . He is our little brother,” the boy next to Jiā Lóng answered.

Kiku turned around to see him better. He was taller than both of his siblings. His hair, while shorter than Yào’s, was styled with just as much care, with his bangs combed to the side, leaving a shadow on one of his strange golden eyes. He wore square-shaped lenses, quite expensive looking.

“Fine,” he answered, defeated.

“I don’t remember seeing you before, you must be new,” a womanly, cheerful voice, from behind Kiku, told him, as he felt two hands on his shoulders.

He shuddered at the contact, unnoticeably, and turned around. Behind him stood a short girl, with long flowy hair. A long curly strand was sticking at a couple of centimeters from the face, in the air. She had two pink frilly flower hair clips, as beautiful as her smile.

“He is Kiku, the opposite class’ new student,” Yong-Soo responded for him.

“Kiku. What a sweet name!” she squealed, pinching his cheek. “Are you Japanese? I know some Japanese!”

“Měi, you are unsettling him, be careful,” Yào said.

“Mean old man.”

“I am the same age as you.”

“Yet, you are about as stuck up as one sometimes.”

“Are you all siblings?” Kiku asked.

“No, no way. I am their  _ cousin _ ,” Měi replied, offended she was mistaken for a sister.

“Well, we  _ are  _ family,” Yào continued, offended at her being offended.

“Whatever,” she puffed, rolling her eyes. “Where do I sit now?”

“Sit with me if you want to,” the woman next to Yekaterina suggested.

The first thing one would notice her was her serious expression. From Natalia’s face (aggressive) to Kiku’s (complete poker face), on a scale of emotionless faces, she was somewhere in the middle. She had long ebony brown hair, tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, lower than Yào’s. Her uniform looked like she sewed it herself: its bright green color was unusual and the skirt was noticeably longer than the standard, ending below her knees.

“Aw, thank you. You’re so sweet, Liên!” Měi exclaimed, running and sitting next to her.

“Mhm.”

“So is, like, food coming anytime soon?” Jiā Lóng asked.

“Well, we are supposed to go after it,” Yào responded, pointing at the forming line of people there to get their food.

“Wait, it opened?” the Korean asked, looking up from his tablet. “I’ll go get the food then. For how many?”

Jiā Lóng counted the people in their group, excluding the blonds, who already got up and left. 

“One, two, three … seven, but I am coming with you too.”

The Korean nodded, turning his device off, leaving with the Hong Konger (He is HK, obviously??? Like, seriously, come on???).

Shortly after, they came back. Jiā Lóng carried three meals, who knows how, putting them on the table for himself and his brothers. Yong Soo held three in his arms and one on his head, making the oldest Chinese look like he was about to get a heart attack, so Kiku quickly took one with both hands, to help him. He waited for everyone to get their meal: a large portion of _ kitsune udon _ .

“ _ Itadakimasu _ ,” he whispered out of habit, to no one in particular.

“Wait, I know what that means!” Měi realized, pointing her eating utensils at the startled Japanese.

“Weeb,” Jiā Lóng dryly remarked with his mouth full.

“Don’t speak while eating!” Yào spoke while eating. 

Kiku ate in silence, studying the others’ friendly debates and gestures. Did they count as his friends now? He turned around to study Yào. The handsome student, with his feminine features, definitely did. Kiku smiled faintly at the other’s overjoyed expression; the Chinese adored food. He was hurriedly eating from his bowl, using chopsticks and slurping the noodles. Small drops of sauce trickled down his mouth due to him being careless in his rush to end his hunger. An impulse to wipe the food off his chin with his fingers, then lick them, suddenly slipped into his mind.

He realized Yào was uncomfortably staring at him. 

He turned away, finishing the soup. 

The others did the same, soon. 

“ _ Gochisousamadeshita _ ,” Měi whispered, eyeing him and grinning.

“We should probably go to our bedrooms too,” the unnamed brother of Yào suggested, seeing everyone else leave.

“I am quite tired, I want to go to bed,” Yào yawned, covering his mouth with the end of the sleeve, slig htly longer than his arm.

“Me too,” Ivan responded.

“I’ll do the same,” Kiku added.

“Wow y’all are such sleepy heads! It’s 8PM now! Fine, then I’ll be fixin’ to celebrate the first day with Julia and the girls now,” Amelia declared, appearing next to them.

“You can’t just disappear like that!” 

“Look at me,” she said, grinning and tucking loose hair curls behind her ear.

“That’s an amazing idea! Let’s throw a loud party in my dorm!” Yong Soo yelled, being shushed by half of the Asians.

“Hell yeah, seriously, that’s a good idea!” Jiā Lóng said. “Come with me too?” he asked the brother on his left.

After they said goodbye to her, then to each other, the three went each to his own dorm.

Kiku entered room 311, closing the door behind him. He shut the blinds, leaving the room in pitch darkness, changed to his plain pyjamas, then collapsed into the bed. It took him some time to fall asleep (must be that afternoon nap … or not), but in the end he managed. The last memory of that day was of Yào’s sweet smile, before it withered away, leaving space for a light sleep, unstable like a fragile equilibrium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> seonbae(kr.)- explained in the context  
> -kun(jp.)- relatively casual manly suffix for names  
> xiān shēng(cn.)- Mr. (on the hetalia wiki it says HK canonically calls China this)  
> Katyusha(ru.)- diminutive from Yekaterina (for whatever reason)  
> gēgē(ch.)- brother
> 
> By now, you probably know HK is Jiā Lóng, Korea is Yong Soo, Taiwan is Měi, Vietnam is Liên. Somebody TELL ME how to name MACAU-


End file.
